Page 20 of Fire and Icing

“You like that one?” I ask.

“I couldn’t stop thinking of it after I ate it. Might have been the best donut I’ve ever eaten.”

I turn and pull a pink box off the stack under the counter and start assembling it. My cheeks heat for the third time in minutes. Ridiculous. People compliment our donuts all the time.

First he apologizes, and now he’s praising my donuts. He’s got his technique down, I’ll give him that.

I put a variety of donuts in the box, finishing with three blueberry-lemon. Not that I care whether he gets one or not, but he’s a customer and he stated his order. I can’t have people saying I don’t give customers what they request.

“I’ll ring you up over here,” Syd says when I hand the filled box over to her.

The bell over the door tinkles—a welcome break from the tension curling through my chest. Then I see her. Vanessa. My stomach tightens. My jaw does too. My fingers curl around the counter edge, pressing into the cold ceramic.

Vanessa walks in like she owns the place. Like she owns the whole town. Maybe, piece by piece, she’s starting to.

She’s wearing a low-cut blouse and jeans. Her hair is perfectly curled and her makeup is flawless.

“Mornin’ ladies,” she says to me and Sydney and then, of course, her eyes drift to Dustin.

He’s in his station uniform, a navy snap-up shirt and matching pants with black shoes and a black belt. It’s a telltale sign he’s a firefighter. And firemen just happen to be Vanessa’s kryptonite.

“Well, look at who we have here.” She walks over to Dustin where he’s slipping a few dollars into our tip jar—the one Sydtaped a sign to a while back. It says, A little dough makes our day a whole lot butter.

“Hello, there,” Vanessa says, placing her hand on Dustin’s shoulder. “I’m Vanessa. And you must be Dustin.”

“Vanessa?” Dustin’s eyes widen with a look of recognition.

Did the guys at the station warn him about her?

He quickly covers his initial reaction with a smile.

“Yes. Vanessa Keele. I’m the other baker in town. I do my baking as a cottage business—from my own home kitchen. You’re welcome by anytime for a sample.”

Dustin’s lips thin just the slightest, but he smiles. “Thank you for the offer.”

“As a matter of fact …” Her voice raises and she glances at Sydney and me. “I just landed the city council meeting contract. I’ll be providing their baked goods every other week. Our city council loves their pastries and coffee cakes.”

“Congratulations,” Dustin says.

Sydney shoots me a glance. I’d been gunning for that contract for months. We’d dropped off samples at the last meeting and heard nothing but rave reviews and a promise of more opportunities to be the supplier for their meetings.

"Over my dead rolling pin," I mutter to Syd under my breath.

Syd shakes her head and makes a motion with her hands as if she’s repeatedly pressing something down.

“I’m calm. Don’t worry,” I assure her.

“Whatcha got in the box, Dustin?” Vanessa asks.

“Donuts. I’m bringing them back to the station.”

“Oh. That’s so sweet. You know, I bake donuts too. I use a family recipe. They’re fluffy and sweet as a kiss on a front porch swing.”

I can’t quite see from my angle, but it looks like Vanessa winks at Dustin.

“Well, there’s only five of us on duty per shift. I’ve got what I need here,” Dustin says, glancing over at me for some unknown reason.

“You’ll have to try mine sometime,” Vanessa says, running her hand on Dustin’s shoulder down his bicep and giving it a not-so-subtle squeeze.

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